Laila Tara H deconstructs the aesthetic framework of the Indo/Persian miniature tradition, hybridizing traditional painting methods with radically contemporary compositions and concepts. Her imagery is composed of repeated motifs that, once recognized, become a visually and politically charged lexicon by which to 'read' the work. Symbolic forms and multiple, concurrent narratives punctuate the space. Detailed figures, faces painted in profile, disjointed limbs, delicate foliage, birds, reptiles, and golden suns are all arranged in stark, startling compositions, creating a deeply personal narrative. Paper is cut and folded, puncturing, and destabilizing space to introduce three-dimensional depth and shadow play. She uses pigments that are either naturally derived including deep blue lapis lazuli, walnut ink, clay earth ochre or from found materials such as crushed red London bricks.

Conceptually the paintings interrogate the quiet politics of the domestic sphere and the tension that exists between the personal and public realm. Often monumental in scale, comprising multiple parts and incorporating sculptural elements, Tara H's practice challenges our traditional perception of what constitutes a work on paper. Her Iranian heritage, and years spent moving through continents, has informed the language through which she articulates her own history of living in different cultural settings.